jesse jackson, jr., is facing double dose of controversy. jackson denying allegations he offered to buy a u.s. senate seat while apologizing about a relationship he had with a washington, d.c., restaurant hostess. good afternoon. i'm steve sanders. >> and i'm allison payne. we welcome our viewers who are watching us around the country on wgn america. wgn's julian crews is live outside the congressman's southeast side home with more on the fallout. >> reporter: good afternoon. congressman jesse jackson, jr.,

clearly in no rush to answer reporter's questions. there is no sign of him here at his south shore home. he said to be en route in his washington, d.c., office. yesterday in a written statement, the congressman said that the allegations the smith seat allegations are nothing new. he continues to deny that he offered campaign cash to then governor rod blagojevich. all in exchange for the vacant senate seat. but revelations about a washington, d.c., cigar and martini whoitous are almost overshadowing the other allegations. new photographs surfacing of a part time model. a "sun-times" report says jackson asked a businessman and contributor to pay for two plane tickets to fly her to a chicago meeting with jackson. if the allegations are true, he could be looking at house ethics violation's both the congressman and wife, alderman sandi jackson released written statements. the congressman saying he is

sorry for disappointing his supporters and at the same time not denying the allegations about the hostess. the two statements seem to imply there was some sort of inappropriate relationship between the married congressman and hostess. sandi jackson saying in her statement that for months the couple had been trying to deal privately with the, quote, painful and unfortunate situation. and jackson's second district people are reacting to the scandal. >> hopefully things will be resolved personally between him and his family. politically, i don't think they have anything to do with it. >> you would think they would know better. the guy before him had done it. but continues to happen. it's just a political climate of this country. it's a sad situation. >> i'm disappointed. i'm disappointed with him because i mean, he has a beautiful family and for something like that to happen is just a shame. >> reporter: a lot of mixed opinions, political analysts

say the news could possibly derail the congressman's mayoral aspirations. other even wondering how it could impact his congressional re-election bid. jackson's republican opponent is hoping that the scandal will win him votes. >> the voters want change. christian democrats, moral independents all recognize the character flaw in our current representative and want someone who have values to lead this district responsibly. >> isaac hayes garnering a lot of attention as a result of this news. there is a big difference between getting publicity and gathering enough votes in what has been a historically democratic strong hold here in the second congressional district. on the south shore, julian crews, wgn news. thank you. some developing news. cnn reporting at this hour that white house adviser rahm emanuel will likely leave his post in the obama administration next month to run for mayor of chicago.

two sources close to emanuel say he has not made a firm decision about running for mayor. he has all but decided to take the plunge. emanuel has been busy meeting with other potential candidates for chicago's top job. he met with congressman jesse jackson, jr., last week to discuss their mutual interest in running for mayor of chicago. now emanuel has plans to meet with two other potential candidates. alderman thomas tunney says emanuel called him friday. tunney whose name was mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate. the city's currently openly gay alerman. tunney says he is focused on running for re-election to the city council right now. and congressman mike quigley is flying to d.c. today to meet with emanuel later this afternoon. quickly currently holds fifth congressional district seat. emanuel gave up to become president obama's chief of staff and quigley has said that he, too is considering a run for mayor. let's talk about another

politician. one who has spent nearly four decades in the chicago city council and who is ready for more. alderman bernie stone says he is running again. wgn's randy belesomo joins us from city hall. >> reporter: good afternoon. now would be the worst of all times to walk away. he will be running again despite his age and does not know why mayor daley would choose to, quote, abandon ship now. the 50th ward alderman is the oldest. he will be 83 in november. he is the second longest serving and vice mayor. stone says beginning in 2011 needs him especially because of mayor daley's decision to retire. he says next mayor will need guidance particularly from the finance committee on which stone serves. stone says he understands the mayor may want to retire due to personal reasons but the alderman believes city is in its worst state in years. this is his duty and responsibility to continue on. besides, stone says he would miss coming down here to city hall every day. he seen it all here.

like back in '87 when stone was part of the infamous 29 which worked to oppose mayor washington. and joined republican party for a short time to run for a quarter of deeds. in 89 he unsuccessfully slawt the republican slating for mayor to run against riched of m. dale people the democrat again and has been photographed appearing to be asleep in council chambers. stone says he has to continue. >> a new mayor is going to need someone like myself to guide him. this is going to be an awesome responsibility because the new mayor will not have the experience or the knowledge to face this awesome challenge. >> he will be running against the wife of state senator ira silverstein. silverstein beat ward in 808

with a strong backing of mayor daley. thank you. joining us now with more on alderman stone, rahm emanuel and jesse jackson, jr., and all things political, i'm running out of breath. >> nothing going on in politics. >> not in chicago. >> it's a slow time. >> where shall we start. >> think start with rahm emanuel. >> yeah. first of all, surprising but not. is that to say what's surprising about it is that president obama indicated that he expected rahm to stay around through the mid-term elections. that would have meant rahm needed to stay there until the beginning of november. now we were hearing he will leave next month and i'm seeing reports that show it could be as early as early october, he may be checking with the senate so see when they rap up their session. that will be either next week or the week after he will leave. that's what he needs to be around for is help usher in the votes in the senate and house. but clearly he can say all he wants. when you see these steps and read this news, he is going to

be a candidate. any possible replacement for rahm? >> they are talking -- there are three names people in the white house right now one is president obama's former chief of staff senator. he may step not an interim position. the white house is saying is fluid. there is a lot of changes going on. the economic team is stepping down. the president will have a lot on his plate in terms of replacement. thils the most critical position. it won't happen quickly. and another possible candidate for mayor of chicago is possibly was jesse jackson, jr.,. >> was the operative word. >> these allegations swirling around him seem to have legs to them and it's day two and doesn't seem to be going away. >> that's right. one could argue he put it on himself when he said over the weekend, you know go for it. and the media said, okay, we will. the stories come out. this nayak story, the one about trying to buy the seat is old news. we heard about this before. i think that one he can probably with time dismiss. although apparently nayak is

making the comments again. it's really this story of this woman in washington. because this is a character issue. this is one that says people want people with good character in office. for him to run for office for mayor, right now the problem is he won't -- >> those pictures there don't help. >> no. they might explain some things but they don't help that his position. and the other thing. it's been clear, i give him credit for this. he acknowledged it. no denying he and his wife have said, look, we were dealing with this as family and have been dealing with this. >> he should be far more politically savvy than he was to say bring it on. >> any time there is a sex scandal among politician there is the what were they thinking? and i think what they were thinking is this is something that wouldn't go public. it's not news. but these days you pretty much can't hide anything. again, this apparently has not

come out for several months. may walings something he thought swept under. where did the leak begin. >> we could speculate on that every day. he is jesse jackson, jr., running for re-election as congressman have to do every two years. is he in dang there are? >> he wasn't until yesterday and to be honest it's hard to say he is. a fairly safe seethe. a strongly democratic area. going to be a surprise if he misses it. however, up until yesterday if you said to somebody who is his opponent over there they would have no idea. well, now republican is isaac hayes. he will be out there trying to -- and going to get support with the republican party in illinois and also potentially nationally. the national republicans could look at this and are trying to regain control of the house. they could see this as a seat that's worth going for. at least for a period of time. >> that's what they need. 35 seats to do this. they will make effort in that. what does he need to do to repair his images in time is one thing. to be honest, i'm not sure repair can happen before the november elections. he may squeak through his re-

election as congress person. think he will step out of the situation as mayor. he never stepped in officially. i don't think he will go there. the real issue will his wife want to run for mayor? i don't think you will see her go there because no alderman can run for alderman and also mayor. one person will get thank. i think we will see these alderman who thought about it decide not to. >> paul, let's go back to one other national issue quickly. don't ask, don't tell. your thoughts. >> a lot of news yesterday about don't ask, don't tell being blocked by the republican and it was along with two democrats. louisiana senator and nebraska senators. here is the thing. the bill, debt finance bill they were trying to get through and this is the first time it happened. it's not just about don't ask, don't tell. it includes raises for the troops. there is war funding issues in there and the dream act. the notion of making immigrants that were born here or brought here many years ago as children and served in the military allowing them to take a path to citizenship.

people are talking about don't ask, don't tell because that's the hot political component. what really got blocked yesterday was the defense spending bill that affects the troops. much bigger deal than we are seeing. by the way, democrats have let us know today we aren't going to see don't ask, don't tell happen before the election. that is just one more disappointment that the white house will have to deal with. >> thanks for sharing your wisdom. >> good to see you. coming up next on the midday news, the family of a teen killed by chicago police officers on the cta train files a wrongful death suit. >> president obama marks six months of health care reform. ahead of some overhaul provisions scheduled to take effect. here is something that parents won't want to hear. illinois students are in school less time than the national average.

a family shares its grief telling reporters why they are filing a lawsuit against the city and chicago police department in the death of 19- year-old george lash. he was shot by police who say lash pointed a gun at them at a cta station. some wnlses say that's not the way it happened. wgn's amy rutledge is live in the loop with more. >> reporter: allison, the family's attorney say they are filing this lawsuit now to preserve evidence in this case. evidence that they hope will better explain what happened before and during the shooting which killed 19-year-old george lash. lash's stepfather says george was trying to turn his life around when he was shot and killed saturday night on his way to a friend's house. >> i don't feel safe. i mean, can't go out the home

or ride the train. it's just horrifying. lash's adoptive mother carmela lash croft was so upset, she stepped out as her attorney answered questions. antonio says he has obtained two witness accounts from that night which state the police shot lash after he had been detained by police. police have said the officers fired after lash pulled a gun on them. they also have statements saying lash never had a gun at all. contradicting previous claims by the train conductor. the family's attorney says at this point they are not disputing facts but are trying to figure out exactly what happened and if previous violence in the cities led to the shooting. >> we had a summer of violence between citizens and police

officers. and what i'm afraid of is that because of this violence, that the police are not rushing their critical judgment too quickly. >> reporter: now have i contacted the city and the police department for their response to the lawsuit. i have not heard back. family's attorney is hoping to get the identities of the police officers involved in the shooting from here. they also want to get a look at any web cam or cell phone video that might have been taken by witnesses in this area. they are hoping to take a look at the cta red line video at the garfield stop where the shooting took place. live in the loop, amy rutledge, wgn news. the chicago man accused of plotting a bomb attack near wrigleyfield is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon for a detention hearing. 22-year-old sami samir hassoun is charged with attempted use of a weapons of mass destructions. and of an explosive device. he was arrested saturday night after he placed what he thought was bomb in a trash can in

wrigleyville. the bomb was a fake given to him by undercover fbi agents. hassoun's attorney claim he may claim entrapment by the fbi. three top officials of the obama administration say threat from al qaeda has grown more complex. fbi director robber mueller and homeland security secretary janet napolitano testified this morning before a senate committee muller says groups with links to al qaeda are actively targeting the united states and looking for ways to use americans and other westerners who can remain undetected by heightened security measures. they say al qaeda has inspired other terrorist groups to target the u.s. new book by president obama says he and his aides are deeply divided over the war in afghanistan. the book is called obama wars. written by famed journalist bob woodward. he writes that the president insisted on an exit strategy and saturday timetable for withdrawing from afghanistan because he was worried about losing support of the entire

democratic party. the book also says some top members of the president's national security team don't believe the president's troop buildup strategy will work. president obama's marking the six month anniversary of the new health care law by meeting with people who say they have already benefitted from the changes. the president is in virginia focusing on the patient's bill of rights which takes effect tomorrow. >> all these things are designed not to have government more involved in health care. they are designed to make sure that you have basic protection in your interactions with your insurance company. you are getting what you pay for. >> the patients bill of rights include new coverage for preventive care and a ban on canceling insurance for someone who falls ill. starting tomorrow, some major health insurance companies will stop selling policies that cover children only. in illinois, those companies include anthem, blue cross,

atena and cigna. policies are expensive once the health care law takes effect. that law requires insurers to cover young people with preexisting conditions. blue cross and blue shield of illinois also suspended child only policies but it is offering a new product that still needs state approval. still ahead, the pastor of a well-known mega church now at the center of a sex scandal involving then teenage boys. and in medical watch, it cab painful condition. symptoms of sinusitis and how it can be treated. and later in lunch break, the chef from sepia is here with a preview of this weekend's big chicago gourmet festival.

your children may not be going to school as much as you think. a "chicago tribune" analysis finds state of illinois

requires 176 school days compared to 180 days around country. many cps students go 170 days. the state allows school districts to wave eight days so teachers can work on student improvement. will award grants to add more days but it does not plan to mandate longer school years. glenview public school district is the only one in the state with 180 full days. i'm bloomberg's angie lau live at the cme group in chicago. it's the golden day for gold today. gold is soaring to another record after the federal reserve said it was willing to ease monetary policy to boost the economy and so that is driving down the dollar. investors trying to safeguard their money buying gold today. speculation that apple's iphone heading to verizon is ringing ever louder. apple, according to apple insider is expected to build

its first three million verizon vers compatible iphones this year. that report coming from the suppliers prepping to build the -- which keep the device on track for an early 2007 launch. meanwhile investors eating their cereal today and eating up shares of general mill's one of the few trading higher after the maker of cheerios and wheaties reported first quarter profit gain thanks to rising sales of cereals and snacks. and speaking of good eats, pizza might not necessarily be the best idea. men's health magazine says you might want to stay away specifically from domino's thin crust pizza. brooklyn style extravaganza pizza rated worst thin crust pizza with nearly 1200-calorie for just two slices. worst pizza in america title goes to chicago's uno classic deep dish pizza. more than 2300-calories there

for one person pizza. right now on wall street, stocks are declining this hour as the drop in home prices raise concerns about the economic recovery and that report saying u.s. home prices dropped 3.3% in july compared to a year ago. live at the cme group in chicago, angie lau, bloomberg news. now back to uyou. the proposal by one alderman to put a casino in a key chicago location if he is elected mayor. the owners of an iowa factory at center of the tainted egg outbreak testify before congress as to what may have caused the illnesses. ♪

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♪ so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever. eight city officials including the mayor of a los angeles suburb will be in court today to face charges they

stole more than $5 million in public funds. residents of bell, california, celebrated the arrest yesterday. eight current and former city employees are charged with misproposition of funds and receiving illegal loans. an investigation shows officials were paying themselves huge salaries including $800,000 a year for the city manager. the prominent pastor of a mega church near atlanta denies allegations in a lawsuit he coerced two young men from the congregation into a sexual relationship. the men were 17 and 18 when they say bishop eddie long seduced them with money, gifts and trips in exchange for sexual acts. long opposes gay marriage and his church counseled gay members to become straight. a spokesman says he is not aware into an investigation into the allegations. lawyer representing the two men says she contacted u.s. attorney office instead of the da because long has ties to officials in that office.

the owner of an iowa egg company believes an ingredient from an outside supplier may be to blame for that salmonella outbreak. wright county egg owner is among those testifying today before a house committee on capitol hill. he says he was horrified to learn his eggs may have sickened as many as 1600 people. he believes an ingredient sold to his company by an outside supplier is to blame. wright county egg and another iowa egg company hillendale farms recalled 550 million eggs last month because of salmonella. bright idea as dog owners in cambridge, massachusetts, looking at their pets waste disposeinal a whole new light. take a look. it's a lantern in a park. it's powered by pop. cambridge artist matthew created what he calls the park spark pop converter. their owners are instructed to use biodegradable bags to collect it and deposit in a

tank where it is mixed with other waste and water and the resulting mixture gives off methane gas to power the lamp. all about alternative energy >> that is smart. jim ramsey is in for tom skilling. full forecast is next. [ woman ] alright, so this tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. but aleve can last 12 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain.

jim ramsey joins us now. we sure got the cool off we needed from yesterday. plenty of rain. some people still without power. as fast as that storm was moving o'hare only picked up .5 nrchg of rainfall -- of an inch of rainfall. >> most of the heavier rain was up toward winnebago county and mchenry and outwest toward elgin picking up close to an

inch of rainfall. it is possible we will see additional rainfall today. most is expected to be light so if you are driving around this afternoon and notice a little sprinkle on the windshield, that's all you will see. there is a slight chance that we could see an isolated thunderstorm, but it's only a slight chance. we will keep you posted. cloudiness out there this morning and we expect mostly cloudy skies to be the story throughout the day. temperatures we are one degree shy of 70 but will make it into the mid- to upper 70s during the day today. nothing like that 88 we had yesterday. but there is plenty of cold air that's pooling up in canada. we will have tastes of that from time to time throughout the next week or two. notice throughout the area temperature not at all uncomfortable just a bit of a chill in the air. but dew point temperatures in the upper 50s and low to mid- 60s suggest the air is primed for a little rainfall. plenty of moisture up there. winds are coming off of lake michigan but hardly very strong.

notice wind speeds under 10 miles per hour. but that cool lake water will tend to have an effect on downtown temperatures. this is our temperature forecast. the warm air and the oranges and reds. that's going to stay far to the south while this canadian air continues to sneak down into parts of the mid west and the in fact, by this weekend we will have a day or two of but from time to time again the hot air will surge back over the chicago area. don't put away the short pants just yet. looks like we will have a couple of warm days ahead. big thunderstorms are moderately big affecting parts of indianapolis. wind gusts there are 30 miles per hour. also some rain down in parts of eastern missouri at this hour. here is a better look at storms out to our immediate west and southwestern minnesota and southeastern south dakota some fairly big storms. they close enough to keep showers and thunderstorms in our forecast as well. it continues to rain in south

texas. this is the tenth wettest september for the town of brownsville. they have had more than a foot of rain unofficially. about a foot and a quarter and continues to rain as little trough of low pressure just cycles moisture off the gufer. south texas continuing to get rain and thunderstorms. locally this is the forecast from our models for the next 36 hours. you can see that tomorrow most of the rain stays to the north. does eventually sweep into the area. about the time we get into thursday night and friday. and some of that rain may in fact include a passing thunderstorms. forecast for the chicago area for this afternoon, we will keep mostly cloudy skies going. showers possible. maybe a clap of thunder as well. high temperature say 75 to 80. i think the higher temperature in that spread will be in the south suburbs with a wind continuing off the lake at five to 12. then for tonight. mostly cloudy. a bit breezy. winds southerly at 5 to 15 with a low temperature at 63 to 67.

for tomorrow, mid- to upper 80s. the south suburbs possibly getting into some 90-degree air once again. that warm air will sneak back up into the chicago area for a brief visit. and then retreat again. notice friday's temperatures once again little on the cooler side. still comfortable temperatures. but there is that possibility of seeing showers and thunderstorms develop across the area. real interesting time of year. this is the season of transition. the equinox today marking the astronomical start of fall. and it's going to feel like fall off and on it looks like the next few days. no problem there. >> thank you. >> hot day again tomorrow. >> thank you, tom. you look nothing like him. here is our trivia question today. popular in the 1880s to give black and white photos from tone, sepia pigment comes from where? a beet? cuddlefish or snails? the answer still ahead on the wgn midday news.

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the sox playoff hopes are officially done after another loss in oakland last night. more trouble for mark buehrle falling behind early after an rbi triple in the third. he surrendered five runs in six innings. sloppy play continued in the eighth. attempting to throw out a runner at third. the ball ends up in left field. and that allowed the as to score. sox lose 7-2. and with a twins win they were eliminated from a possible division championship. cubs rookie outfielder colvin could be released from a miami hospital as early as today. he is recovering from a chest puncture sustained by a broken bat during last sunday's game. doctors had to use a plastic tube to avoid the potential collapsed lung.

teammates and coaches spoken with tyler and they say he is in good spirits. there was a pitching duel on the north side. carlos zambrano and matt king pitched six scoreless innings. zambrano was backed up by a nice defensive pli by castro. the only run of the game came in the eighth when andrew gave up a solo homer to posey. cubs lose 1-0 and watch their six game win streak come to an end. that's a look at sports. your live illinois lottery drawing is next. she felt lost...

until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. hi. we're ready to switch our car insurance to progressive. today just seemed like a great day to save. oh, it's not just today. with our free loyalty program, you earn great stuff like accident forgiveness and bigger discounts just by staying with us. oh! ooh! so, what you're saying is, it gets even better with age. oh! tell me we're still talking about insurance. rewarding loyalty. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

if you are feeling stuffed up, tired, listless you may blame it on a fall cold or allergies. as susan hendricks reports, it could be something else. >> reporter: when it comes to real estate, you got to be on your game. even though she was successful at it, sarah broodz key -- brodsky seemed a little off. >> i was constantly stuffed up. felt pressure in my face. headaches that would be in the back of my head. she suffered from sinus problems even after numerous tests and different drugs, she couldn't shake the pain and exhaustion. she finally went to a sinus specialist who diagnosed her with chronic sinusitis and recommended surgery. >> they opened all my passage ways so i could breathe easier. >> sinusitis is an inflation of the signinouses that occurs with an infection. with chronic sinusitis the

cavities around the sinuses bm inflamed and swollen and causes mucus to build up. >> cat scan can be helpful and can show acute sinusitis but the absence of findings doesn't indicate a person doesn't have it. >> symptoms for sinusitis includes loss of smell, coughing at night, fatigue, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat and post nasal drip and in some cases a fever and treatment ranges from pills to surgery. yet even though the symptoms are easy to spot, sinusitis continues to be misdiginoused. >> an illness that is seen in 14% of americans. internists are just not getting information. >> reporter: for sarah brodsky, the surgery made all of the difference' for today's health minute, susan hendricks. abbott laboratories is voluntarily recalling some simlic brand powdered baby formulas. abbott says an internal quality review detected what the company calls a remote possibility of beetles in the

product produced at one manufacturing facility. the fda has determined it does not pose any immediate health risk but infants may experience some gastrointestinal problems. to find out if you have a product lot being recalled, visit simlic.com/recall. a possible candidate for chicago mayor wants to build a casino to earn more tax revenue. second ward alderman robert says he has not decided on running for mayor yet but blag temporary casino inside mccormick place east would help the city. he says the city could use existing infrastructure and have one up and running in six months. he also says chicago's losing out on the tack refna casinos in northwest indiana are currently earning from illinois residents. lunch break is next. >> common street food in tunisia. we were making spicy lamb sausage.

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as we reported, sources close to rahm emanuel say he will likely leave his post in the white house next month to run for mayor of chicago. cnn's henry broke the story and joins us live from washington with more. first, ed, congratulations and tell us more. >> reporter: well, what's interesting is we are hearing this is really tied now to when the senate adjourns for the election. originally senate majority leader harry reid said they would work until october 8. now getting some indications from dick durbin and other senate leaders they may be leaving as soon as the end of next week. october1. rahm emanuel i'm told is up to his eyeballs as some aides say in terms of trying to get the

senate to finish some the president's agenda before they go home and campaign full time. he has not had a chance to really sit down and do a gut check with his family, et cetera. i'm told by the sources close to emanuel that he is all but certain to run. as you full well know, and that once the senate is gone, this will happen pretty quickly. that we will see him go through the formal mashinations and i'm hearing in the works a deputy chief of staff at the white house you will remember he was chief of staff when barack obama was in the senate. he was chief of staff and very trustd vidzer to the president. he will be the acting chief of staff because this is happening so rapidly they may not have a full time chief of staff in place. so pete rouse might be a bridge until the president decides on someone to be the full time chief of staff. happening very quickly. >> too early to talk about who might replace rahm emanuel? >> no, it's washington. people throw names out all the time. in all seriousness there are

serious names looked at. tom donlan is one. a deputy of national security adviser here. he is well-known in democratic and political circles. ron claim vice-president to biden. worked in the clinton white house and did donlan and shapiro the current liaison to capitol hill has contacts that rahm menwell has been able to use. stimulus and health care and other things passed. there are a lot of names mostly insiders in that close circle that the president has. valerie jarrett is talked about and she is somebody who is close not just to the president but the first lady. i'm hearing the other names i mentioned are more likely. valerie jarrett likes where she is right now and feels she is valuable to the president in that role. i think it's hard to overstate what a monumental loss this will be for the president because rahm emanuel is the glue here. he has been controversial and some liberals think he has moved president to far to the center. look at wall street reform, stimulus and has an impressive record he got done for this

president. the big question now is how will he do it back in chicago. one source close to him said the polling he did recently was better than expected. the emanuel camp believes. we will see. they are feeling good he has a good shot at this. thank you. coming back to chicago pretty much ending speculation that rahm emanuel will run for mayor of chicago. and thank you so much for that. we appreciate it. allison? is it time for our lunch break and our guest chef today is andrew zimmerman from sepia restaurant and taking part in the big chicago gourmet festival this weekend. but before we talk about that, what you got in the pan? >> we made some sausages. >> never heard of that. >> it's a spicy lamb sausage from northern africa. >> tunisia specifically? >> yeah. i think it's specifically tunisian but you see variances across northern africa. >> what's it taste like?

it looks like it's done. >> is it done. it has a lot of -- >> a lot of spices in it. a little bit spicy from cayenne. and has roasted red peppers and marge, margeroom. and little red wine. >> other pot? >> some simple lenidles that we cooked with chicken stock and celery and onion and carrots. and let's plate. >> the first thing we need to do -- >> this will be the sauce. so this is a mixture of mint and tarragon and parsley. and we have a couple of shallots. and little bit of crushed red chili. and some preserved lemon which is typically north african. >> i have to say hi to my lea from tunisia. >> and a little vinegar. and a little olive oil and if you want to stir that together for me while i get the lamb sausages going on the plate.

>> i would love to help. >> now why would a salsa go with this? >> first of all you have the nice fresh herbs and a little bit of acidity from the vinegar which is going to lighten up some of the richness of the sausage. >> i see. >> a little bit of oil for me. thank you. now tell me about chicago gourmet. >> chicago gourmet is the third year of our participation and the third year that the events happen. the illinois restaurant association and southern wines and spirits have partnered up this year with bon appetit magazine which has given a whole new sort of interest and a whole new stature for the event. >> you excited about this. >> it's a wonderful event. >> are you going to make this? >> we were making the sausage. we will be in the allen brothers steak pavilion. on sunday. >> is that all right? >> perfect. we will be in the allen brothers steaks on sunday from 3:00 to 5:00 and we will have

the sausages and lentils. >> and how much is it for the event? >> well, the tickets i believe the tickets are $100. >> and money goes to? >> the money -- i don't know. i assume it goes back into the -- i don't think -- i don't know where it goes. >> no special charity. >> afraid not. >> it costs to put this on. >> good food is good food. people are willing to pay for it. >> we give it a little saladcap there you go. real simple. real tasty. and so -- >> he made these from scratch. >> absolutely. >> in case the sausage -- encased the sausage and everything. we will have full description and all the details on our web page. saturday and sunday ticket for the gourmet festival are sold out. sorry. but tickets are still available for friday night. check out our website for more information. and sepia is located at 123 north jefferson street right

here in chicago. and for more information on andrew's recipes today, check out our web page, wgntv.com/midday. all right, chef. gecko: good news sir, i just got an email from the office and word is people really love our claims service. gecko: 'specially the auto repair xpress. repairs are fast and they're guaranteed for as long as you own your car. boss: hey, that's great! is this your phone? gecko: yeah, 'course. boss: but...where do you put...i mean how do you...carry... waitress: here you go. boss: thanks! gecko: no, no i got it, sir. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

but my doctor told me that most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. citracal.

you want know read this? >> now the answer to the trivia question. popular in the 1880 to get black and white photos a little more tone, sepia pigment comes from where? beets? cuddlefish or snails? well, the answer is cuddlefish. anybody have an idea what a cuddlefish? >> just had that conversation. it's some kind of octopus or something. a quid. >> nothing you -- squid. >> nothing you cuddle with? >> let's talks about the forecast. >> okay. i will have to talk to the stage hand and find out what he did tell me. we have temperatures, a lot of clouds. we are talking about the temperature in a moment. as you can see it will take you a long time to get a sunburn out there. too many clouds. sun is at a low angle. this by the way is the last of

the sunburn times for the season. there if you got sneezing problems, this is probably part of the difficulty. mold, ragweed and weed pollen. very, very high today. also as you can see a moderate value for the other. then seven-day forecast. chance of showers and thunderstorms coming in the next couple of days. just a chance. pretty good chance as we move through the warm up tomorrow. look at that temperature. it wouldn't price me at all to see 90s again in the suburban areas and we could see as much as an inch of rain in some spots. meanwhile temperatures beyond that back closer to seasonal norms readings in the 70s expected. steve and allison. thank you. thank you for joining us. have a great afternoon. remember, we were back at 5:00 and 9:00.